Game apparatus.



No. 846,320. PATBNTED MAR. 5, 1907. R. T. LAMBERT.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2, 1906. V

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No. 846,820. PATENTED MAR 5', 1907. R. T. LAMBERT.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 2 1906.

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No. 846,320. PATENTED MAR. 5, 1907.

R. T.- LAMBERT.

GAME APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILEb 11111112, 1906.

3 SHEETS-8HEET 3 1H: mamas PETERS cm, WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PA;ENT OFFICE.

GAIVI E APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 5, 1907.

Application filed June 2,1906. Serial No. 319,910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD T. LAMBERT, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention consists in a game apparatus which includes a ball or balls to be thrown by the players and a structure having a plurality of passages leading to different stalls or compartments, which are finally reached by the balls when properly thrown, and means for guiding improperly-thrown balls to a separate point for collection, the stalls which receive the properly-thrown balls being designated by numbers which represent the value or relative importance of the balls reaching said stalls.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a perspective front View of a game apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a section on line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a horizontal section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 represents a section on line 4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 represents a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 3. of a portion of Fig.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, 12 represents a flat vertical wall forming the back of an inclosure, which has sides 13 13, the said inclosure be ing open at the front. In the back wall 12 is formed an opening 14, which communicates with a box or casing behind the wall 12, the said casing being subdivided into a series of vertical chutes or passages 15 by partitions 16, the upper ends of which are below the upper edge and preferably about flush with the lower edge of the opening 14. Persons using the apparatus are provided with balls of suitable size to enter the orifice 14 and pass down either of the chutes 15. The lower ends of the chutes 15 open into inclined;

chute extensions 18, which extend toward the front of the apparatus, the lower ends of the extensions 18 constituting stalls or pockets 181, which receive balls falling through the various chutes. The pocket ends of the chutes may be numbered, the numbers having different values. It is the aim of each player to send his ball into the pocket having the highest value, and. his success in this endeavor depends upon his skill as a marksman. Above the pocket ends of the chutes Fig. 6 represents an enlargement 18 is an opening which is guarded by a grating 20, hinged at 21 to the structure. This grating permits the players to inspect the ball-receiving pockets, but prevents the removal the balls unless the grating is displaced. The bottom of each ball-receiving pocket has an opening, which is normally closed by a slide 22, the said slide beingheld yieldingly in a closed position by a spring or springs suitably arranged. In Fig. 6 I show rubber springs 23 connected with the edges of the slide 22 and another rubber spring 24 connected with the rear end of said slide, the said springs being suitably connected with the supportingstructure and arranged to pull the slide to its closed position. W ith each slide is connected an operating-cord 25, the said cords extending over pulleys 26 and having free ends depending from the front of the structure, so that they may be grasped and pulled to retract the slides 22 and permit the escape of the balls from the pockets 181. When the slides are retracted, the balls in the pockets are permitted to drop into a spentball receptacle 40, the floor or bottom of which has two opposite inclines 26 26, these inclines guiding the balls toward opposite ends of the receptacle, where doors 27 are provided for the removal of the balls.

Balls which are so misdirected as to fail to enter the orifice 14 will rebound from the wall 12 into a hopper 30, located in front of the wall 12 and below the opening 14. The hopper has an inclined bottom 31, which forms the top of the chute extensions 18 and guides the balls entering the hopper toward the front of the apparatus. The inclined bottom 31 is provided with two oblique oppositely-arranged deflecting-guides 32, which deflect the balls rollingdown the bottom 31 toward the sides of the apparatus. The inclined bottom 31 has extensions formed by trap-doors 28 28, which are pivoted at 29 to the casing and are located in recesses formed in the casing of the apparatus, as shown in Fig. 3. The balls falling into the hopper are guided toward the front of the casing by the inclined bottom 31 and laterally toward the sides of the casing by the guides 32, the balls reaching the trap-doors 28, which doors are so arranged that the weight of the balls on their lower portions will cause them to tilt, as indicated in Fig. 5. The balls are thus allowed to drop into the spent-ball receptacle 40.

A player using the apparatus throws a ball at the front side of the deflecting-wall adapttoward the orifice 14. If the ball enters the 1 orifice, it falls through one of the chutes 15 to l the corresponding pocket 1S1. 'lhe grating 20 enables the players to see the balls in all the pockets. 1f the ball misses the opening 14, it will rebound into the hopper 30, from which it will pass, as described, to the spentball receptacle 40. After all the balls used in the game have been thrown an attendant may release the balls from the pockets under the grating 20 by pulling the cords 25, said balls dropping into the spent-ball receptacle.

In Fig. 4 I show a ball-outlet at one end of the spent-ball receptacle 40, said outlet having a hinged door 35, on which is a flange 36, wlich forms a pocket into which the balls roll-when the door is opened. The opposite end of the receptacle 40 may have a similar outlet.

I claim 1. A game apparatus comprising a deflecting-wall having an opening, a series of chutes behind said wall, each communicating with the opening in the wall, a corresponding series of ball pockets or stalls adapted to arrest balls dropping through said chutes, a hopper at the front side of the deflecting-wall adapted to receive balls that rebound therefrom, and means for guiding balls from the hopper to the front portion of the apparatus.

2. A game apparatus comprising a deflecting-wall having an opening, a series of chutes behind said wall, each communicating at its upper end with the opening in the wall, a corresponding series of ball-arresting pockets or stalls at the front portion of the apparatus, adapted to receive balls falling through said chutes, each .pocket having a valved balloutlet in its bottom, and. means for operating the valves of said outlets.

3. A game apparatus comprising a deflecting-wall having an opening, a series of chutes behind said wall, each connnunicating with the opening in the wall, a corresponding series of ball pockets or stalls, adapted to arrest balls dropping through said chutes, a hopper ed to receive balls that rebound therefrom, said hopper having an inclined bottom with forwardly-projecting extensions at opposite ends of the series of pockets, and oblique guides adapted to deflect balls laterally to the extensions.

4. A game apparatus comprising a deflecting-wall having an opening, a series of chutes behind said wall, each communicating with l the opening in the wall, a corresponding series of ball pockets or stalls, adapted to arrest balls dropping through said chutes, a hopper at the front side of the deflecting-wall ad apted to receive balls that rebound therefrom, said hopper having an inclined bottom with forwardly-projecting extensions at opposite ends of the series of pockets, oblique guides adapted to deflect balls laterally to said extensions, ball-outlets in said extensions, and a spent-ball receptacle located below the extensions.

5. A game apparatus comprising a deflecting-wall having an opening, a series of chutes behind said wall, each communicating with the opening in the wall, a corresponding series of ball-receiving pockets or stalls at the front portion of the apparatus, adapted to receive balls dropping through said chutes, a hopper adapted to receive balls that rebound from the deflecting-wall, said hopper having an inclined bottom with extensions at opposite ends of the series of stalls, and means for guiding balls to said extensions, said pockets and extensions having valved ball-outlets, and a spent-ball receptacle under said outlets.

6. A game apparatus comprising a deflecting-wall having an opening, a series of chutes behind said wall, each communicating with the opening in the wall, a corresponding se ries of ballreceiving pockets or stalls at the front portion of the apparatus, adapted to receive balls dropping through said chutes, a hopper adapted to receive balls that rebound from the deflecting-wall, said hopper having an inclined bottom with extensions at opposite ends of the series of stalls, and means for guiding balls to said extensions, said pockets and extensions having valved ball-outlets, a spent-ball receptacle under said outlets having oppositely-arranged inclines extending downwardly from the center to the sides of the apparatus, and ball-outlets at the ends of said receptacle.

7 A game apparatus comprising a deflecting-wall having an opening, a series of chutes behind said wall, each communicating with the opening in the wall, a corresponding se ries of ball-arresting pockets or stalls at the front portion of the apparatus, means for guiding balls to said pockets, and a movable grated cover above said pockets.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD T. LAMBERT.

itnesses THOMAS E. Down, C. F. BROWN LOO 

